About Alex Ogsimer: Alex, 29, is the president of the Farmers Association in Barangay Cadahunan, Burauen, Leyte. As president, he knows the needs of his fellow farmers in his community.
Good morning, everyone.
I come from a family of farmers. My reasons why I am not in favor of free irrigation is based on my experience and true experiences from my community.
In my village, we have a small source of water located in a lower area which only a few people benefit from. For us who live in a higher elevation, water supply is insufficient.
If the government provided services and program for equitable water irrigation systems for everyone, it is okay to pay for these services. I am willing to pay as long as this would address the needs of a farmer like me.
I did not finish college because my family did not have enough income to support my education. If the government provided water irrigation services and everyone played their role, we could have expanded our area of cultivation. With that expansion, we could have increased our yield and gained more income, which could have been enough to support for my studies. Also, we would be able to pay for the operations and maintenance of the water irrigation services with the additional income we get from our increased production.
Paying for our water will also be a great tool for farmers to be more responsible of their water usage and avoid waste. Where I come from, we do not pay for our water. Since it is free, people do not value water and just wastes it. If we were to pay for our water, people would value water more.
Now that we are facing Climate Change it is important that we value our water.
Let us think of the next generations. We love our family. I love my fellow youth. If we help each other, we can provide for everybody’s needs.
Thank you.